Melinda Shankar

 Melinda Leanna Shankar, a Canadian-Canadian Guyanese actress, is most well recognized for her role as Alli Bhandari in Season 8 of Degrassi: The Next Generation. She also appears as Indira "Indie," Mehta on YTV's 'How To be an Indie. Melinda made her starring mark in 2008 in the eighth season of Degrassi as Alli Bhandari who was a confident, young woman at the high school level, which she continues to play. She was a co-star in the Disney Channel Original Movie, 'Harriet the Spy' as Janie Gibbs alongside with Aislinn Paul who plays Clare Edwards on Degrassi and Disney Channel's Jennifer Stone. She was the main character, Reshma, in a independent film from the year 2011, titled "Festival of Lights.". Melinda is a black belt in karate and she likes hockey. Melinda is close friends with all of her Degrassi co stars and has stated that she will take time off to shoot "How to be Indie" but will return shortly. She has stated that she is extremely close with all her cast mates but is most close with Scott Paterson and Samantha Munro, Luke Bilyk and Munro Chambers.